This invention relates in general to an exercise device that is immersed in water.
It is well known that exercising in an aquatic environment is beneficial to the person doing the exercise because the resistance of the water aids in promoting muscle tone and the buoyancy of the individual relative to the water reduces the likelihood of muscle strain. Exercising in an aquatic environment is invigorating and motivating, in part because of the coolness of the pool water and in part because of the comfort due to the buoyancy of the water. An example of an aquatic exercise device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,735 issued Jul. 23, 1991.
The value or utility of an exercise device is usually a function of it being adaptable to the needs of the individual user. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an aquatic exercise device which provides a user selectable level of resistance to the exercise motion.
In order to obtain widespread use of any given exercise device, it is important that it be relatively inexpensive, easy to use and to assemble, require minimum maintenance, be easy to install and remove and can be adapted to be used in a wide variety of environments.
Accordingly, it is further purpose of this invention to provide the user selected variable resistance function in the context of an inexpensive, simple device which requires minimum maintenance and is easy to install and remove.